Enhancement of drug permeability across blood brain barrier using nanoparticles in meningitis

Abstract

The central nervous system, one of the most delicate microenvironments of the body, is protected by the blood–brain barrier regulating its homeostasis. Blood–brain barrier is a highly complex structure that tightly regulates the movement of ions of a limited number of small molecules and of an even more restricted number of macromolecules from the blood to the brain, protecting it from injuries and diseases. However, the blood–brain barrier also significantly precludes the delivery of drugs to the brain, thus, preventing the therapy of a number of neurological disorders. As a consequence, several strategies are currently being sought after to enhance the delivery of drugs across the blood–brain barrier. Within this review a brief description of the structural and physiological features of the barriers and the recently born strategy of brain drug delivery based on the use of nanoparticles are described. Finally, the future technological approaches are described. The strong efforts to allow the translation from preclinical to concrete clinical applications are worth the economic investments.